A usual lever lock connector is provided at an electric car as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 so as to be locked with a mating connector 102 which is arranged at an electric circuit for supplying electric power from a battery to a load side.
The lever lock connector 101 includes a housing 104 in which terminals (not shown) are received, a pair of plate members 150A clamping the housing 104 therebetween, an operation member 150B as a plate connecting member joining the pair of plate members 150A to each other, and a lever 105 arranged rotatably at the housing 104.
The housing 104 includes a base plate 141 which the terminals are provided, a side wall 142 extending vertically from an edge of the base plate 141 and a pair of rotation pivots 145 as projections projecting from the side wall 142 so as to be apart from each other.
The pair of plate members 150A respectively includes a linear guide groove 153 through which each of the pair of rotation pivot 145 is passed.
The lever 105 is attached to the mating connector 102 and rotated around the rotation pivots 145 from a release position (corresponding to FIG. 4A) in which a surface of the base plate 141 intersects a lengthwise direction of the guide groove 153 toward a slide start position (corresponding to FIG. 4B) in which the surface of the base plate 141 is arranged in parallel to the lengthwise direction of the guide groove 153. Thereafter, the lever 105 is slid along the lengthwise direction of the guide groove 153 (corresponding to FIG. 4C). An arrow Z shown in FIG. 4 indicates a connecting direction for attaching the lever 105 to the mating connector 102. An arrow X indicates a slide direction for sliding the lever 105 about the housing 104.
The connector 101 includes a vertical surface 105a arranged at a side apart from the guide groove 153 of the operation member 150B so as to be vertical to the slide direction (direction by the arrow X) when the lever is located at the slide start position, and a horizontal surface 105b arranged at a side near to the guide groove 153 of the operation member 150B so as to be vertical to the connecting direction (direction by the arrow Z) when the lever is located at the release position, as shown FIG. 5. The vertical surface 105a is provided for receiving a force by an operator when the lever is slid from the slide start position.
The horizontal surface 105b is provided for receiving a force by the operator for rotating the lever 105 from the slide start position to the release position and pulling up the operation member 150B (the connector 101) along an opposite direction (direction by the arrow Z) opposite to the connecting direction when maintenance of an electric system of an electric car having the connector 102 is acted.